Making Connections while reading will improve reading comprehension. Teach your students the three ways to make connections and make their learning visible with Guru Anchor Charts. Assign each of your students as a reading guru and display these anchor charts throughout the year to foster a student-centered classroom.
Let’s first begin by asking, what is schema? Well, what is your background knowledge? As adults, when we read, watch the news or interact socially with our friends and colleagues, we depend on our own background knowledge on the topic at hand in order to comprehend or connect with what we see and hear. If we are watching a weather forecast about the recent hurricanes or forest fires, we instantly can visualize a storming sea or burnt crops because we have previously read, seen photographs or movies on the topic. We rely on those previous mental images to help us understand the news report.
Children also rely on their own schema to help them understand new ideas encountered in texts. Yet, their background knowledge is not as extensive as ours. As teachers, we must help them gather those mental images by building their background knowledge so that they may more easily make connections and understand new age-appropriate texts.
It is best to begin with teaching students how to rely on their background knowledge by teaching them how to make text-self connections and then later build up their text-text and text-world connections.
By actively engaging with the text in these ways, readers can deepen their understanding and retention of the material
Digging Deeper and Teaching Your Students to Make Meaningful Connections
But first, we need to discuss how to help our students make meaningful connections. Use this phrase often; “Digging deeper” when you first begin to teach your students how to make text to self connections, they will raise their proud little hands at everything and anything that the story REMINDS them of!
“Oh! The author’s name is David? My dad’s name is David!” (Oh, David books)
“Her purse is purple! My favorite color is purple too!” (Lily and her Purple Plastic Purse)
“I have a snowsuit too. I love playing in the snow.” (Thomas’ Snowsuit)
Suggested Phrasing for a Teacher Response:
Smile, nod in agreement and say, that IS a connection, “so and so”, yet, is that a MEANINGFUL connection that helps us connect to the story and understand the author’s message?
Then move on. And move on quickly with your lesson, don’t indulge the child in a discussion about a simple connection. After using this suggested phrasing a multitude of times, the children will learn how to refine their connections before they raise their hand to share a connection that does not dig deeper in the text.
Let’s dive in and discover how making meaningful connections can transform your students’ reading experience.
3 Ways Making Connections Boosts Reading Comprehension
Text to Self Connections
One of the ways readers can enhance their understanding of the material is by making connections to their own lives, known as text to self connections. Students focus on identifying their own memories and feelings that helps them deepen their comprehension of a text while increasing their ability to identify an author’s purpose, central theme and main ideas.
“The same thing happened to me and I felt…”
“The part when _____ reminded me of when I…”
“The same thing happened to me when I …”
Text to Text Connections
Another effective method for improving reading comprehension is by making text to text connections. This involves relating the text being read to other books, articles, or media that the reader has previously encountered. By drawing parallels between different sources of information, readers can deepen their understanding and gain new perspectives on the material. For example, a reader might connect themes from a novel they are reading to historical events they have learned about in a textbook. These connections can help to provide context, enhance critical thinking skills, and enrich the overall reading experience.
“That reminds me of the book … when the character had the same problem…”
“Character A from … had the same thing happen to them as Character B from…”
“This author writes the same way as …”
Text to World Connections
Additionally, by making text to world connections, readers can relate the information they are absorbing to real-life situations and current events. This form of connection allows readers to see the relevance of the material to their own lives and the world around them, making the reading experience more meaningful and engaging. Making meaningful connections between the text and the world helps readers to develop a deeper understanding of the material and fosters a greater sense of curiosity and inquiry.,
“I saw the same thing in the movie…”
“This book reminds me of the tsunami I saw in the movie …”
“I read about this in the news.”
In conclusion, by actively connecting what we read to our own experiences, other texts, and the world around us, we can greatly enhance our reading comprehension. These connections not only deepen our understanding but also make learning more engaging and meaningful. As we encourage students to implement these strategies, we are not just improving their ability to comprehend texts but also helping them develop important metacognitive skills and expand their background knowledge.
What are Guru Anchor Charts?
Guru anchor Charts were designed to help students take ownership of their learning. By assigning a reading strategy/skill guru to EACH of your students, you will have created a student-centered classroom. Your students will be engaged, excited and will become experts in their “field” and equipped to teach their classmates throughout the year.
As you teach each reading strategy and skill, present the guru anchor chart featuring one of your students. Keep it displayed all year long. You may wish to record your thinking on smaller anchor charts hung below the Guru anchor chart. This will make learning visible and permanent throughout the school year.
Simply remove your students picture and reuse them year after year.
You can find a class set of Guru anchor Charts HERE.
If you’re like me, you consider teaching a form of art. Having taught for 20 years, I have created many teaching resources, and here at The K Files, I would like to share them with you.
As a mother of three boys and a “school mom” for my students, it is my belief that the classroom is a “home away from home”.
From my home away from home….
…to yours.
